Coronary Orbital Atherectomy

Premier Health offers an advance in coronary atherectomy, the Diamondback 360® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS), at Miami Valley Hospital. Coronary atherectomy is designed for high-risk patients with severe calcium buildup in coronary arteries, for whom conventional methods of opening narrowed arteries – such as balloon angioplasty – are not effective.   

How Orbital Coronary Atherectomy Works

Safer and more effective, for most patients, than traditional atherectomy methods, the Diamondback 360® OAS prepares narrowed arteries for balloon angioplasty and stent placement. The arterial walls of patients with severe coronary calcium buildup can become so irregular that cardiologists have difficulty expanding a balloon to insert a stent.

With the Diamondback 360® OAS, however, an interventional cardiologist guides a catheter into the artery, with a diamond-coated crown on the end. The crown spins at variable speeds, gently sanding down built-up calcium plaque into tiny particles, which the body is able to absorb. This eliminates the need for additional procedures to treat and remove large chunks of broken up plaque, which puts patients at higher risk.

The force of the orbital spin enables continuous blood flow, and the crown of the OAS nudges the walls of the artery, restoring the artery’s flexibility and clearing the way to inflate the angioplasty balloon and insert the stent.

Premier Health First To Bring OAS Technology To Southwest Ohio

Premier Health is the first Southwest Ohio health care provider to offer patients the Diamondback 360® OAS. The OAS is the first major advancement in more than 25 years specifically designed to remove calcified plaque from narrowed arteries that supply blood to the heart.

Three Premier Health physicians participated in and enrolled patients in a two-year clinical trial for the Diamondback 360® OAS, which led to the system becoming the first FDA-approved device for treatment of severely calcified coronary lesions. The system also has been approved by Medicare for reimbursement for patients who qualify for the treatment.

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Every moment of your life depends on a strong, healthy heart. The Premier Health cardiology and vascular services team is here to help you, each beat of the way, with prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation services in our hospitals, outpatient centers, and medical offices across Southwest Ohio.